News Feature
| July 30, 2014

Government IT News For VARs — July 30, 2014

In news this week are some tips for Big Data strategy, updates about plans for Labor’s IT modernization and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, and a discussion of the applications of military cyber awareness. And finally, the FBI is compiling a new data base that include biometric information in an effort to streamline identification and prosecution of criminals.

5 Tips For A Successful Big Data Strategy

In its 2012 study, Demystifying Big Data, the TechAmerica Foundation’s Big Data Commission wrote: “Government agencies should think about Big Data not as an IT solution to solve reporting and analytical information challenges but rather as a strategic asset that can be used to achieve better mission outcomes. …treating it like any other asset — one that is valued and secured.” This article from Fed Tech offers 5 tips to creating a successful Big Data strategy for federal agencies.

Labor Department's Ambitious IT Modernization Plans

In an interview with Federal Times, Labor Department Deputy CIO Dawn Leaf shares how the department's modernization of nine legacy units will support federal digital goals. The next stage of IT modernization efforts includes the consolidation and modernization of nine legacy IT infrastructures supporting the department’s varied business units. When completed, the project will support federal digital government goals such as enterprise data analytics, mobile data applications, and offer Labor staff tools to enable greater productivity and efficiency.

DHS to Award Continuous Monitoring Task Orders

This article from the Federal Times outlines the progress and plans of the DHS to implement the $6 billion effort to secure public-sector networks against cyber threats. That effort, the CDM program, aims to apply a strategic sourcing acquisition strategy toward the purchase of network sensors, dashboards, expertise and a variety of services to identify and fix the worst vulnerabilities threatening the dot-gov enterprise. There are 17 winning vendors of the Continuous Monitoring-as-a-Service contract, which brought the best ideas of cyber defense to a single portal and which will be available to all of the government sector.

Can JIE Take Cyber Awareness “Beyond The Foxhole”?

The Joint Information Environment (JIE) aims to streamline Defense Department (DoD) technology and networks, aligning the services under a centralized strategy for the future of Pentagon IT. This article from the Federal Times asserts that, if done properly, JIE could provide increased situational awareness for cyber operations, helping to inform decision-making as warfare takes on the cyber domain, according to one DoD official. But for that to happen, the policies, governance and network architecture will need to play an essential role.

FBI Launches New Biometric Systems To Identify And Prosecute Criminals

According to this article from Computer World, palm prints, iris images, and mug shots join fingerprints in the FBI’s database, all now helping to identify the bad guys. With the new information, the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) hopes to improve the accuracy of identity searches, simplify identification and tracking of criminals as they move through the criminal justice system, and provide a wider range of tools for crime scene investigators. This means that state agencies will first have to update their own systems to be able to capture the data, forward it to the FBI and search against the nationwide database.